Professor Sir John Tooke Vice Provost (Health) addressses Demenia Research at UCL

“On Thursday I will be attending the first Global Dementia Legacy Event, following the 2013 G8 dementia summit, which is being held in London. Experts from around the world will propose ways to increase investment in dementia.

Dementia has devastating consequences on the lives of affected people and their families, on social care needs and for economic prosperity. The annual financial impact to the UK alone is already estimated to be £23 billion.

The global burden of dementia is set to increase. By 2025, one million people in the UK and over 60 million globally will have the disease. The World Alzheimer Report predicted a near doubling in worldwide societal costs from $604 billion in 2010 to $1,117 billion by 2030. In recognition of this, the G8 summit in December 2013 committed to significantly increase spend on dementia research and increase participation in clinical trials, to drive a global reduction in the prevalence of dementia and its associated social and economic impacts – the ‘Dementia Challenge’.

Dementia and neurodegeneration have been identified as a major institutional priority as part of our commitment this national and international effort. Our work encompasses world leading expertise across the full spectrum of research offering the genuine prospect of treatments that will be able to slow or even halt neurodegeneration.

As the figures above indicate there is a strong economic case for action and we are actively engaged in attempts to increase investment in this vital area of research in which we have world class capabilities.”

See our dementia publication

Professor Sir John Tooke Vice Provost (Health)